Moving On Without Her
by MadameX818
Summary: How the Crystal Gems mourned the loss of Rose Quartz and learned to embrace their newest addition.
1. Abandoned

"Out of everything we've been through, why sacrifice your life for HIM?" Pearl sobbed as she hugged her knees. Her tears flowed from her cheeks and dripped into the massive water fountains in her room.

It was only a couple of weeks ago when Rose gave up her physical form for her newborn son, Steven or whatever Greg named him, Pearl didn't exactly bother to remember. Ever since then, it felt like Pearl was simply drifting out into nothingness, like everything that once mattered to her vanished before her eyes. Her life has lost its purpose, its meaningfulness, and now she simply fell apart.

"It wasn't necessary to give up your life," Pearl muttered to herself. "So why, Rose, why did you do it anyways?"

Rose could have easily kept her gem and gave birth to a non-hybrid child, but she took another route, and for what? Why did she do it? Why could have Steven just have been normal? Why did Rose simply . . . abandon her?

Pearl could still remember her last conversation with Rose, clear as day. Rose went into labor and Pearl had carried her over into her leader's room. Garnet and Amethyst went to get Greg, who was the only one who had the slightest knowledge of human birth. Pearl had clutched onto Rose's hand, begging her to reconsider her choice.

"Rose, you don't have to do this," Pearl pleaded. "You don't have to sacrifice your physical form."

"Pearl," Rose wheezed, breathless from the pain of childbirth. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yes, I would!" Pearl sobbed in response. "What do you have to gain from this?"

"Pearl, I can't explain why I want to give up my gem," Rose replied, "especially not now. You just have to understand, this is my choice. Nothing you could say or do could ever change that."

Pearl was shaking as she gripped onto Rose's hand. "Please don't do this to me. Please don't do this to _us_. Don't leave us here!"

"Be good to him, Pearl," Rose said, placing Pearl's delicate hand on her abdomen, where Steven was. "I know he is going to be wonderful."

Pearl was crying all over. She couldn't be losing the one person that mattered most to her. She couldn't just be alone! Why did Rose want this? She could have simply taken the easy way out and leave Steven to be gem-less. It was a much easier route, Rose and Steven could both exist and Rose could raise her 100% human child without having to suffer. How could giving up her physical form benefit Rose in any way?

Suddenly, Greg arrived and the birth began to take its course. Pearl didn't expect childbirth could be so messy. She couldn't stay in the room any longer. Pearl made a mad dash for her room and stayed there for hours, hoping Rose would make the right choice. But when all the screaming finally stopped, Pearl entered Rose's room to find Greg cradling a small, plump baby that possessed big dark eyes . . . and a round pink gem.

 _She really did it_ , Pearl thought as she approached Greg and the child. _She really left_.

Greg introduced Pearl to the child, declaring his name to be Steven and asked if Pearl wanted to hold him. The white Gem refused and marched out of the cloudy haven that was Rose's final resting place, watching Garnet and Amethyst coo over Steven, as if they didn't care at all that Rose had abandoned them.

Pearl stopped flashbacking to that awful day and continued to weep. She couldn't find the motivation to do anything really, like all the obligations in Pearl's life didn't matter anymore. She found herself questioning the fact on why she was here on Earth, on why she kept the planet safe from harm, on why she willingly killed off her own kind to live here in peace.

It was all for Rose. And now she was gone.

Who was to blame for Rose's disappearance? Pearl wanted to pin it all on Steven, the child that Rose seemed to have desired so badly enough to off herself in the process of creating him. But the baby wasn't even aware of his wrongdoings. He was a child after all, naïve and clueless. He didn't even know who Rose was at this moment in his life, he was simply that narrow-minded. None of it was his fault; really, he just came to exist without any knowledge of what was happening. He didn't choose for Rose to give up her physical form, he didn't choose to come to existence at all; all Steven ever did was come into the world, without knowing what the consequences of his parents' actions caused. There was simply no logic when it came to blaming Steven.

Who Pearl really chose to blame was Greg Universe.

He was the one who showed Rose the ways of humankind, showing her what human birth was and managed to persuade her into having a child with him. He didn't care enough about Rose to stop her from making her choice. He practically told her to give up her physical form. And now look at what happened. Greg was so clueless that he didn't even realize what he did to Rose. He didn't love her the way Pearl did. Rose was better off without him, as she would still be alive if it wasn't for Greg narrow-mindedly persuading her to give birth. He indirectly killed Rose himself; he was the one who got her pregnant after all, didn't he?

"This was all because of Greg, wasn't it Rose?" Pearl seethed. "What did he offer you that I didn't?"

Greg didn't deserve Rose at all. He was foolish, naïve, barely even understanding what Rose did for Earth. He wasn't even there most of Rose's life. Greg had only spent twenty or so years with Rose, who had lived for thousands of years. How could that be worthy enough to sacrifice a life for? Pearl was there all of Rose's life, she knew everything about her, she knew what Rose sacrificed. Greg barely understood any of it, nor did he care. So why was Greg somehow a better choice?

Suddenly it all dawned on Pearl. Perhaps even in the eyes of the beautiful Rose Quartz, Pearl wasn't good enough.

Ever since Pearl crawled out of her manufactured pod for the first time, she was deemed unworthy. The Gems who ran the Pearl factory noted everything that made her different from the other Pearls, every single mistake she had in her appearance. In their eyes, she was even lower than a regular Pearl. She was a defect, a flaw in the machinery, something that shouldn't exist. They weren't able to fix all of her flaws, but they decided to haul her off as a slave anyways. She was berated for being different, for being flawed, for something she couldn't even control. It was why she strived so hard to be viewed as perfect, to make up for every time she was considered a mistake, to fix whatever flaw her gem had, to be worthy.

She wanted so badly for Rose to love her the same way she did, but whatever she did to capture Rose's attention wasn't enough. She rebelled against her own kind, abandoned her home, and fought for the humanity, all for Rose. But everything Pearl sacrificed was all for nothing, as Rose chose an ignorant human who only strummed a guitar and sang a dumb song to steal her heart. What if, even compared to Greg, Pearl was still inferior? She gave up everything for Rose, and still failed. She couldn't get Rose to love her the way she wanted her to, which was what Pearl wanted from the start. Rose gave up her life because no matter what Pearl tried to do, it wasn't enough. Perhaps everything she was told on Homeworld was true: that Pearl was a failure, a mistake made to be erased, a defect no one could ever love.

"Pearl," Amethyst interrupted Pearl's mourning. "I'm going over to Greg's to watch Lil Butler. Wanna come? We can see Steven."

"I don't want anything to do with Greg," Pearl sniffed.

Amethyst knew exactly why Pearl was angry at Greg. "It wasn't his fault, you know?" she defended. "He didn't ask for Rose to disappear."

"But he didn't love her enough to make her stay!" Pearl cried. "He could've convinced her otherwise. But he didn't! He just stood there as Rose killed herself! Now she's gone and he doesn't even regret it! He doesn't love her the way I—the way we do."

The young purple Quartz was silent.

After a long uncomfortable moment, she finally spoke. "Well, if you need me, you know where to find me."

* * *

 **A/N: This concept might be overdone, but I really wanted to do this. Hopefully you liked it and remembered to favorite and follow! Next chapter will be what Amethyst did to Greg to break their friendship. Can't wait for Steven Bomb 4!**


	2. The Truth Hurts Sometimes

"Lil Butler, Lil Butler that's you!" the VCR television sang out as the end credits rolled.

"That was even more hilarious the tenth time around!" Amethyst chortled.

Greg nearly fell down laughing. "Hold on, let me get Season 4!"

He was stopped in his tracks when baby Steven let out a loud wail.

"Oh man, how come he keeps crying like that?" Amethyst asked.

"Babies need special attention sometimes," Greg explained as he picked up his two-month-old son and began rocking him. When that didn't work, Greg gave him a bottle and the little gem-hybrid began to settle down. But it took forever for Greg to get him back to sleep.

Amethyst suddenly felt neglected again, reminded of all the times Rose promised to hang out with her but then ditched her to be with Greg.

 _I'm sorry Amethyst; Greg wanted to show me this incredible song he was working on._

 _I'm sorry Amethyst; Greg wanted to show me this barn he got from his aunt and uncle._

 _I'm sorry Amethyst, perhaps next time?_

It was eventually then Amethyst took the hint and figured Rose liked Greg better than she liked Amethyst. So she spent all her time with her cool human friend Vidalia (much to Pearl's dismay). But that didn't last very long when Vidalia gave birth to her son Sour Cream and needed to spend all her time taking care of him. Amethyst hated being alone since it reminded her of those years talking to rocks in the Kindergarten. And when Rose passed away, Amethyst felt alone. Pearl began to change, becoming all depressed and easily provoked, and Garnet was rarely up for any fun. Then Greg showed her an episode of _Lil Butler_ and so began their renewed friendship, which has been neglected ever since Amethyst ditched Greg to hang with Vidalia.

"Steven sure needs a lot of attention, huh?" Amethyst said once Greg finally sat down.

"Well, I can't seem to leave him alone," Greg replied.

 _Everyone seems to be fine with leaving me alone to rot_ , Amethyst thought.

The conversation went flat for a while. Mentioning Steven often meant bringing up Rose, which nobody wanted to think about. Amethyst often left the Crystal Temple since the topic of Rose sprang up everywhere. Pearl kept crying and clutching onto memories and Garnet was severely conflicted, with one half of her furious and the other half of her depressed. The fusion could barely keep herself together, and there were even some points where Ruby and Sapphire fought and Garnet was simply there arguing with herself and looking crazy. Amethyst took every opportunity she could get to leave.

"Pearl is being such a sad-sack lately," Amethyst attempted to restart the conversation. "She's all like 'poor me, I need to cry in my room all because of a baby!'"

"You do a pretty good impression of her," Greg said, laughing. He was never fond of her, and now that Pearl has drastically changed since Rose's passing, Amethyst agrees with him.

"I can do you one better," Amethyst bragged, shapeshifting into a purple version of Pearl. She put on a pouty face and did an overdramatic Pearl impression.

"'Oh, I need to spend all of my time in my room because there's no one left to tell me what to do. Amethyst, leave me alone, I'm too busy feeling sorry for myself,'" Amethyst mocked.

Greg howled in laughter. "Do more, do more."

Amethyst smiled in glee. "'Oh Amethyst, don't you know that Greg isn't good for Rose? No one is good enough for Rose, Rose is mine!'"

Greg chuckled again, but he felt a little crushed on the inside. He always knew Pearl disproved of his relationship with Rose because of her own feelings, but he wouldn't say he was "bad for Rose," necessarily.

"'Oh Amethyst, don't you know that if Greg really loved Rose, he would have kept her alive?'" Amethyst imitated, laughing ridiculously.

Greg didn't laugh at all. "Pearl really said that?"

"Well, kind of," Amethyst replied. "Although, she's kinda right, you _could've_ done something."

"I could've done what?" Greg asked.

"You know, kept Rose from giving up her physical form," Amethyst said. "Maybe if you said something, she would still be here. But you didn't, so here we are."

"It wasn't that simple, Amethyst," Greg defended himself. "It was her choice to leave."

"Maybe she would've listened to you, though," Amethyst continued. "But when she gave birth to Steven, you just stood there, like this." She then shapeshifted into Greg and mimicked his lazy stance.

"Amethyst, that's not funny," Greg said. "Believe me; I tried to change her mind. I really wanted her to stay with us."

"Well then, maybe you should've tried harder!" Amethyst cried, tears pricking at her eyes. She transformed back into herself. "Maybe you shouldn't have gotten her pregnant. Maybe you should've left her alone and she would still be with us! Face it, Greg! You were the one who gave her the idea to have a baby, you were the one who got her pregnant, and you were the one who just stood there when she died! Ever since you came here, you've been stealing her away from us and now she's gone because of you!"

Greg covered his ears. "Just stop! I didn't want it to be this way! I didn't ask her to leave us!"

Amethyst narrowed her eyes. She then shapeshifted into something she had never attempted before. She grew in size and made her wild hair turn into thick ringlets. Her outfit puffed out into a long, pale dress. Greg widened his eyes when he turned around.

"'I'm Rose Quartz, and I made a big mistake when I chose Greg over everyone else!" Amethyst mocked.

Greg flinched and stared at the floor to keep himself from crying. Suddenly, Steven woke up and began wailing again.

Amethyst sneered at the crying baby and shapeshifted back into herself. "I'm out of here," she declared and slammed the door on her way out. For once, she actually wanted to go home to see sniveling Pearl and moody Garnet. At least _they_ cared about Rose.

Greg picked up his son again and rocked him in his arms. He had to get ahold of himself. Amethyst just got overdramatic is all; as if it was really his fault Rose was gone. He cared about Rose just as much as the Crystal Gems did. It was Rose's choice to leave.

He didn't have anything to do with it, right?


	3. Fusion Like Me

"You sure are a hungry little boy," Greg said as he threw away yet another bottle of formula. His son gazed up at him with wide eyes and giggled in response.

Greg's heart melted. After everything that's been happening, he almost felt a little resentful towards Steven, because his birth was what took away Rose, but Steven was just a baby, and more importantly, his son. Rose must've had a good reason to give herself up to make him. The middle-aged man peeled back his son's shirt to reveal a pink gemstone glinting softly against his warm skin. That was Rose. She was here. Steven was simply her new form.

A knock on the van's back door startled Greg. He scratched his head and put Steven inside the sweet-smelling bassinet he bought with most of his car wash profits. Raising a baby required a lot of money and Greg worried if he even could afford to get Steven an education.

"Hello?" Greg asked once he opened the van's door and nearly jumped back when he saw a tall magenta-colored Gem standing before him.

"Garnet, what are you doing here?" Greg asked.

"I . . . just wanted . . . to see Steven," she stuttered. Garnet wasn't acting like herself. She was usually so confident, so put together, but she looked so shaky now, like she was falling apart on the inside.

"Well, come on in then," Greg welcomed. He was a little relieved that at least one of the Gems didn't have an intention to murder him.

"This doesn't seem like a good place to raise a baby," Garnet commented on the cramped interior of the van.

"Well, I don't have a house," Greg stated. "This is the best I could."

Garnet looked into the bassinet that held Rose's child. "Hello Steven," Garnet said warily, like the baby could hurt her.

"Babies don't act like normal humans," Greg explained. "You're going to have to hold to get his attention."

Garnet nodded her head and picked up Steven by the wrists.

"Not like that!" Greg cried. He grabbed Steven and placed him in Garnet's arms the correct way. The little hybrid baby smiled and touched Garnet's visor, which caused the fusion to smile for the first time in forever.

"He's a cute little baby," Garnet commented. "He looks a lot like you."

Greg smiled. "Well, these genetics are a blessing. Hey, check it out. He has Rose's gem!" He pulled back Steven's shirt to display his crystalline navel.

Garnet suddenly stopped smiling and flinched. Her arms began to shake and she started to mutter underneath her breath.

"She's gone . . . it's okay Ruby . . . no it's not, Sapphire! Why did she leave us, why didn't we stop her? Calm down," Garnet conversed with herself.

Greg frantically took Steven back as Garnet backed up against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Greg cried.

Garnet held her face in her hands and breathed in and out. She looked up at Greg and said, "I'm fine. I just . . . needed to contain myself."

"Are _they_ okay?" Greg asked, referring to Ruby and Sapphire.

"Yes," Garnet replied, looking down at her hands. "It's been tough keeping me together lately. Ruby just panicked, but it's going to be fine."

Greg stared at the floor. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Sorry for what?" Garnet asked.

"I'm sorry I didn't do anything when Rose gave birth," Greg blurted out. "I'm sorry that I haven't given what she really deserved. I'm sorry that I just burst in and wrecked everything when I met Rose. I'm sorry that I ruined your lives and that you're all jumpy and Pearl's depressed and Amethyst is mad. I'm sorry that Rose is gone all because of me!"

Garnet glanced at the two gemstones embedded in her palms. "It's not your fault."

"Well, maybe it is!" Greg cried. "I did care about Rose, she was everything I had. But I'm not enough for her. I couldn't even keep her here with us! Rose just vanished and I couldn't do anything about it."

"You're not the only one who did nothing," Garnet admitted.

"What are you talking about?" Greg asked.

"I can see all the paths the future can take," Garnet explained. "I saw what was going to happen to Rose. I knew she was going to give up her physical form. But it was such a small possibility . . . that I ignored it. And look at where it has gotten us."

Greg was silent. "I just wish I could understand why she did it," he finally spoke.

"Me too," Garnet replied. "But I'm a seer, not a mind reader. We couldn't do anything about it."

Greg rocked his son in his arms. "Well, at least she left us behind a gift."

Garnet stroked Steven's cheek. "He's absolutely wonderful, just like I envisioned him. He's going to do great things."

"She really loved Steven enough to give up her physical form," Greg said. "And now she's a part of him. She's still here, even though she's not here at the same time."

"You were enough for Rose, Greg," Garnet declared, "Because she made Steven to symbolize her love for you. Steven's a fusion of you and Rose. He's a fusion of love. Just like me."

"You're right," Greg realized. "But if only I could raise him properly. Especially when I can't always be around: I need to run the car wash, buy groceries, run errands—"

"We can help," Garnet interrupted.

"By 'we,' do you mean Ruby and Sapphire, or do you mean . . ." Greg started.

"I mean me, Pearl, and Amethyst," Garnet said. "We can babysit while you do your important things."

"You sure they'll be okay with it? They're already really mad at me," Greg said.

"It'll be fine," Garnet replied. "Besides, I have future vision, Pearl knows how to cook and clean, and Amethyst can play with him so he won't get bored."

"Okay," Greg said warily. "But if you can't handle it . . ."

"I know they're going to love him," Garnet interrupted. "He's Steven, after all."


	4. Love Like You

"Garnet, what is he doing here?" Pearl cried once she saw her teammate carrying little Steven into the Crystal Temple.

"Greg decided we should babysit him when he's off doing errands," Garnet explained.

"First of all, I'm not doing any favors for Greg," Pearl said. "Second, why should we let a baby into the Temple?"

"Pearl," Garnet said sternly. "I know you're mad at Greg. But he didn't want Rose to leave. He couldn't do anything about it."

Pearl stared at the floor. She refused to believe Rose Quartz, her mistress and liege, would leave everything behind for a simple childbirth experience. But that's what she did. Pearl thought Rose was the epitome of wisdom and grace, but if she gave up her life for Steven, then was it possible she didn't know much about Rose then she thought she did?

"Just why did she do it?" Pearl asked, no longer thinking about Greg or Steven. "Were we not enough for her? Was I not enough for her?"

"Rose was the most brilliant, strategic leader we know," Garnet continued. "And she chose to give up her life for this sweet child. And we know that Rose doesn't do anything without reason. So she must've had a noble reason to leave. We know Rose, and we know she wouldn't leave us behind without a good reason to. We need to learn how to survive without her. _You_ need to learn to live without her, because Rose would want it that way. Do you want to hold him?"

Pearl gazed into Steven's eyes, wide and dark just like Rose's, filled with hope and strength. She held out her pale white arms carefully and Garnet placed Steven in her arms. The fusion smiled and stepped onto the warp pad.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" Pearl cried out. "I thought you said we were babysitting!"

"Just because Rose is gone doesn't mean we stopped protecting the planet," Garnet replied. "So I'll take care of the mission."

"But what about Steven? Who's going to watch him?" Pearl gasped.

"You are, of course," Garnet said with a smirk. "I'll come back if there's trouble. Be good to him."

Pearl tried to grab Garnet but the fusion warped away before she could reach her.

The little boy bundled in her arms smiled up at her, as if he was saying, "Looks like it's just you and me."

Pearl finished warming up the formula and shoved into Steven's mouth, not sure how to be gentle towards infants. The Crystal Temple wasn't a secure place for a child, so Pearl took Steven back to Greg's storage unit, which seemed to be Steven's main care center.

"So children have to be constantly nourished every few hours," Pearl recited from the book on baby care Greg bought, although instructions weren't exactly clear for Pearl. What was a cradle? Was that like a Kindergarten hole for babies?

Steven spit out the bottle and Pearl squished it back into his mouth.

"Come on, I thought humans were supposed to enjoy this," Pearl said. She picked up the book again. "How am I supposed to know when to stop? Does he have a signal or something?"

Steven whacked the bottle out of his mouth. His sweet face went sour and he gave Pearl a strange look.

"Well, how am I supposed to know this?" Pearl shouted at Steven. "Why is this so difficult? Humans do it all the time. Why are these instructions so confusing?"

Steven blinked and he babbled again, asking for something else. His caretaker began to groan. What was it now? Was he hungry? Thirsty, perhaps tired? What was she supposed to do with the blanket again? Why weren't the instructions clearer? What was Pearl supposed to do? It was all too demanding.

Pearl's face fell into her hands. "I'm such an idiot. Why am I even bothering? Every time I look at you, I see her! I already failed Rose, now I'm failing you! It's a constant cycle! I couldn't please the Kindergartners, the Diamonds, humankind, or even the Crystal Gems! What do I have to do? What do I have to do to be good enough?"

Steven started to cry, tears streaming down his face once he saw Pearl's tears.

"Oh my goodness! What do I do?" Pearl cried. She couldn't stand to see the baby cry, it was like watching Rose cry. She hurriedly grabbed Steven and began to cradle him. She picked up the bottle again but that only made Steven cry harder.

"Please just stop!" Pearl pleaded. "Can't you see I'm trying?"

Steven whimpered and nuzzled his face into Pearl shoulder, continuing to sob. Was that a sign? Did he need to be burped? Or was it a signal to put him down? If only she could read Steven's infantile mind, perhaps that's what human mothers did?

Then Pearl remembered how much Steven enjoyed music, just like his father, just like his mother. Was that what he needed?

Pearl searched her mind for a song. Any song might do. As long it could soothe Steven. She then recalled a song Rose wrote with Greg. It was about how much she desired to be like humans, to learn from them. Pearl struggled to remember the lyrics, but the melody was simple to remember. She opened her mouth to sing to Steven.

" _If I could begin to be,_

" _Half of what you think of me,_

" _I could do about anything,_

" _I could even learn how to love like you."_

The song seemed to calm Steven down. His tears stopped and he paused to listen to Pearl's voice. Pearl sighed and rocked Steven back and forth. But the baby babbled in response, as if he was asking why she stopped.

Pearl closed her eyes and started to sing again. Truth was, she couldn't remember the lyrics very well. The parts of the song she could barely recall, she put her own lyrics to fill in the blank. She improvised, adding in things about how much she was inspired by Rose, about how much Rose cared about her enough to miss her when Pearl risked her life to rescue her.

" _When I see the way you act,_

" _Wondering when I'm coming back,_

" _I could do about anything,_

" _I could even learn how to love like you."_

Steven finally began to settle. Pearl gasped in relief. Taking care of a baby was so exhausting to her. But somehow, she enjoyed Steven's company, as if Rose's spirit was comforting her. Pearl glanced at Rose's gem embedded in Steven's navel. Rose was alive. She was seeing the world through Steven's naïve eyes. Pearl refused to let her down again. She would take care of Steven. She would honor Rose's last words to her. She would protect Steven with her life. To prove she wasn't a failure to Rose Quartz. To prove that she was a worthy enough.

* * *

 **A/N: Someone's going to bash me about how the song wasn't by Rose, but I still believe Rose wrote Love Like You, or at least the first half. I know there are a million theories but the song is kind of a big part of story, so let me use it. I think the Crystal Gems all contributed to the song to create a sweet lullaby for Steven. Pearl added in the second half of the song, not remembering how the song originally went. And guess who adds in Nothing Like You? Remember to favorite and follow!**


	5. Letting Go

"Should I be worried about Pearl?" Greg asked Garnet. They were sitting at the back of the van while Pearl was inside the storage unit, cooing over Steven with a reluctant Amethyst.

"Why would you be worried?" Garnet inquired.

"Well, it's just that now she's suddenly visiting Steven so much, it's almost disturbing how much she cares about him," Greg stuttered.

"Devotion is one of Pearl's biggest traits," Garnet said. "You should be grateful that she isn't bitter towards him."

"She still refuses to talk to me though," Greg said. "Amethyst, too, and I'm still trying to make it up to her."

"Just be happy that they're willing to play with Steven," Garnet reassures. "You said it so yourself, raising a baby is hard."

Inside the storage unit, Pearl was rocking little Steven in her arms.

"Oh Amethyst, he has Rose's eyes, look!" Pearl cooed.

"I don't see what's so great about him," Amethyst grunted. "All he does is drool and babble."

"He's precious when he's not crying," Pearl explained. "And he loves music, just like Rose did."

"Did you ever stop and think that if maybe Steven wasn't Rose's son, you wouldn't like him?" Amethyst blurted out. She immediately regretted once she saw Pearl's hurt face.

"He's more than just Rose's son," Pearl said. "He's a child."

"But you didn't even like human babies before he came along," Amethyst added. "What's so amazing about him besides Rose's gem?"

"It's just that it's nice to have someone to take care of again," Pearl defended.

"Kinda like how you protected Rose?" Amethyst asked.

"Amethyst, you don't understand," Pearl replied. "It's just that . . . Steven's so innocent and sweet. It's really not so bad. Here, hold him and then you'll see it."

Amethyst sighed and put out her arms. She rolled her eyes when Pearl wiped off the grime on her hands before placing the child in her embrace. She couldn't understand why Rose would give up her life for something so helpless and small. Were the Crystal Gems not enough for her to stay? Could Rose have been secretly unhappy? The war did mess up her life and she did lose a lot of her friends. But she smiled so much and took pleasure in exploring human culture. How could she have been miserable? Unless, Amethyst didn't know as much about Rose as she thought she did.

Steven looked up at Amethyst and smiled. He wrapped his chubby little fingers in around Amethyst's long, wild locks of hair. She tried to shake his hand out but his touch was almost comforting in a way.

"In a way, he almost reminds me of you," Pearl said.

"What do you mean?" Amethyst asked.

"Well, when we found you in the Kindergarten five thousand years ago, you were so innocent and clueless, you were practically like a human child," Pearl chuckled.

"And that's so great how?" Amethyst asked.

"It's just that you were so fun to have around, and you could always make us laugh even when things were so serious. It was nice having someone who wasn't crippled by war and loss for once," Pearl said.

Amethyst looked at Steven again. They were similar in a few ways: they were both childish (Steven because he couldn't help it, Amethyst because she found it fun), they were both born on Earth, and their births had . . . repercussions. And Steven didn't mean to exist, he just did. He didn't have any choice in whether or not Rose died . . . and neither did Greg. Perhaps it was silly to hold such a grudge against two humans, who had no idea what was going on in Rose's mind. Maybe in any course of events, Rose would choose to give up her physical form. Rose had many secrets, after all. Amethyst just wished that she might've done something to make Rose happy. But maybe Rose had a different reason to leave, to perhaps be reborn into a new body, to lose the memories she had in her old form, to be half of something innocent and wonderful. Rose had erased herself and now was a part of Steven. Maybe Amethyst should respect Rose's choice instead of resent it. Because she knew she couldn't stay mad forever. Steven was going to be in her life, even if she tried to push him away. It would be best for everyone to just accept it.

Besides, Steven was adorable. Amethyst couldn't deny that.

She tossed Steven in the air. The little boy laughed and grinned, which caused Amethyst to do the same. He was like a little toy. She liked playing with him.

"Amethyst, be careful!" Pearl cried.

And if Amethyst could piss off Pearl at the same time, well then she was definitely going to love playing with Steven.


	6. Water Under the Bridge

**A/N: A couple of years have passed and Steven is about four or five.**

* * *

"Greg," Pearl spoke, startling the middle-aged father. It has been a while since they had a conversation without Garnet or Amethyst. The two of them rarely had kind things to say to one another but things seemed calm enough between them. Greg and Amethyst had made progress over the last few years, but they still refuse to go back to the old days.

Greg and Pearl were watching Steven at the car wash, the sweet little boy napping in his little bed, cuddling with M.C Bear, Bear.

"What is it?" Greg asked. He was prepared to listen to a long period of nagging.

"I was just thinking about Steven's gem and then it just came to me," Pearl started. "You say we don't know a thing about raising a human, which is true, but then again . . . you don't know a thing about raising a Gem."

"What are you talking about?" Greg interrupted her.

Pearl bit her lip as she tried to find the kindest way to state the obvious. "It just that Steven's both a human and a Gem and there's going to be a day when you won't be able to understand the things Steven does."

"I think I would be able to understand my son," Greg reasoned.

Pearl continued, "He's still the bearer of Rose's gem and he might have some hidden potential. I know he's going to become powerful one day. He's his mother's son, after all. And all he talks about is how much he wants be like a Gem."

"What, do you think I should learn more about Gem stuff?" Greg asked. He could never understand the world that the Gems live in, and he didn't want history to repeat itself with his son. He couldn't imagine Steven forgetting about being human.

"I think . . . that Garnet, Amethyst, and I can teach Steven these things," Pearl stated. "And that we could probably take over from here."

"What?" Greg yelped. "Do you remember what happened when he was a baby?"

"Steven's not a baby anymore," Pearl explained. "He's developed coherent speech and learned basic skills. And besides, who knows more about training warriors than us?"

The thought of Steven becoming a warrior frightened Greg. It was pretty exciting to think about, Steven fulfilling his destiny as a Crystal Gem, but he was still a child. Greg had initially thought that Gem training wasn't going to start until Steven was at least a proper adult. Pearl didn't understand how long it took for a human to develop, since Gems popped out of the ground already strong and mature. She didn't understand that this was simply too much for a kid who still had his baby teeth.

"Don't you think that Steven's a little young?" Greg asked. "No offense, but humans develop differently than Gems. We're not exactly battle-ready at this age."

"I'm not saying I'm putting him on the battle field," Pearl rebutted. "He's fragile anyways. But he still needs to learn about where he came from, who his mother was, what it means to be a Gem. I mean, can you imagine him never understanding why he has a gem in his bellybutton? There are things he has to learn, things that only we can teach him."

"But he's still human," Greg cried. "Wouldn't Rose want him to experience being a human?"

Pearl pinched her lips together. "She gave him her gem for a reason. She could've made him full human, but didn't. Rose believed he could do great things. She wanted him to continue her legacy. She wanted him to be a part of this world. Don't you want him fulfill that?"

Greg fidgeted a little. "What are going to do anyway?"

"First of all," Pearl explained. "He can't live in here forever. I was thinking that perhaps he could live at the Crystal Temple."

"I thought you said the inside was too dangerous for him," Greg interjected.

"Well, not inside the Temple," Pearl explained. "More like, he could live near the Temple, in a proper house."

"Where are you going to find a house?" Greg asked.

"It can't be that hard to build," Pearl answered. "And we can teach him about his powers and about Gem history. He barely knows anything about Rose or Gems or even about what the Crystal Gems do. He needs to learn about his Gem half, it's what Rose would've wanted."

"I can still visit him, right?" Greg asked.

"Well, he's going to need his father," Pearl admitted. "But imagine what he could once he unlocks his full potential as the first Gem/human hybrid. Don't you want him to be like his mother? We can't do this without your approval."

Greg wasn't sure of the Gems known what they were getting themselves, but he knew they had good intentions. And it was true that Steven needed to learn more about Gems. But Greg wondered if he would still be as important in Steven's life.

But when he stole a glance at his son, who was snoring softly and clutching his mother's gem, he knew that he didn't have all the answers and that perhaps Gems knew what was best. He might not be the one raising him, but he would still be Steven's father and that was special enough.

"Okay then," Greg agreed. "Steven is all yours."

It was like he was giving away a part of him, but the Crystal Gems cared about Steven. They could do a good enough job.

* * *

 **Months Later**

"Good night Steven," Greg whispered to his son, who was wrapped in warm blankets on an actual bed, in an actual room.

"You'll be here tomorrow, right?" Steven asked.

"Of course," Greg reassured. "You're excited about living with the Gems, right?"

"Uh huh," Steven nodded. "Are you going to be lonely in the van all alone?"

"No," the father answered. "You're still my son, aren't you? It doesn't matter if we're not under the same roof."

"Great," Steven yawned. He hugged his teddy bear. "See you soon."

Greg kissed his son goodnight as Steven dozed off and put on his jacket. He headed towards the door of Steven's new house and looked up at the painting of Rose the Gems hung up above the entrance. He looked back at the Crystal Gems, who were standing there nervously.

"We promise to take good care of him," Pearl stammered.

"Don't worry about it," Amethyst cheered. "We're his family too!"

"Steven's going to do great things," Garnet informed. "This is just the first step."

Greg tried not to cry in front of the Gems. "I know," he answered. "Well, I'll just be going."

Before he was able to close the door behind him, Pearl piped up.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Greg asked.

"For everything," Pearl added. "I know you loved her. And we'll love him."

"I already know," Greg chuckled as he closed the door.


End file.
